Victim Impact Panel

The Maricopa County Adult Probation Department has cooperated with the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
to establish a "Victim Impact Panel Program". MADD uses the panels as an educational tool for convicted alcohol offenders.
There are five local panels every month. The cost to the offender is $30.00 and they will receive a certificate of attendance.
The panels are open to the public at no charge.

Each panel includes three to four victims who are selected by MADD to speak briefly about the drunk driving crashes in which
they were injured or in which a loved one was killed, and what this has meant to them. They do not blame or judge those who
attend the panel. Instead, they simply tell their stories about how their lives and families have been affected by the crash.
Victims never speak to groups in which their own offender is present. There is not interaction between victims and offenders
during the panel presentation, but a question and answer period may follow between the group and a MADD representative.

Judges and Probation Officers may require convicted drunk driving offenders to attend a Victim Impact Panel as an element of
their sentence. The panel doesn't not replace conventional sentencing but rather adds a creative component to it.

Values for Offenders:

To enable offenders, perhaps for the first time, to consider the pain and suffering drunk driving can cause to others

To help offenders move beyond focusing on their own problems

To serve as a first step in breaking down the denial of alcoholism or the denial of those addicted to other drugs

To imprint images of real people in offenders' minds which may replay when drinking and driving is again an option

To change behavior and save lives

Values for Victims:

To provide an opportunity for victims to become more involved in the criminal justice system

To assure victims they can have a positive impact if an offender's lifestyle is change through their message